Ophthalmic mounting



March 11, 1941. J, LOWRES OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Filed April 11, 1940 INVENTOR. ,BerfCJfLa res, BY

ATTORNEY.

7' Patented Mar. 11, 1941 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in lens holding, strap devices for ophthalmic mountings, and reference, moreparticularly, to a novel n lens strap device including a cushioning insert 5 I interposed between the same and a lens received and en'ibraced thereby; this application being a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 299,457, filed October 14, 1939.

This invention has for an object to provide a novel cushioning insert for engagement between a lens and the rigid attachment strap by which the same is coupled to the nose bridge, temples andv similar parts which are included in a. rimless ophthalmic mounting.

Theihvention has for a further object to provide fa novel cushioning insert consisting of a unitary} composite structure for application against; the interior lens embracing surfaces of a lens'ljstrap device so as to be interposed between the same and a lens received and held therein; said composite structure comprising a thin, firm or non l-limsy backing plate or body, preferably made'ofpsheet metal, of peripheral shape to correspond-to the interior surface areas of the strap a face surface of which backing plate s adhered a resilient facing body of soft referably ailixed to said backing plate by vulcanization.

Another object of this invention is to so inter- 30 connect and combine said strap device and said novel cushioning insert as to provide a unitary construction ready to receive a lens, thus-simplifylng the lens assembling operations which are req ii led to be performed by retail distributors ac or ophthalmic mountings.

It has heretofore been attempted to interpose between the meeting surfaces of a strap device and lens assembly a thin sheet of rubber or like more orless resilient and flexible material. Algythough soft rubber is the most eflicient cushioning medium, owing to the small and required irregular peripheral shape to which a thin sheet thereof must be reduced in order to fit within and properly correspond to the interior surface areas a. -of a strap device with which it is to be used, as

well as to its flimsy or limp character, considerable difficulty is experienced in handling and applying the same in use, especially by the retail optician. Furthermore, when a rubber facing'is 50 directly and permanently cemented to the interior surface areas of a strap device, considerable difliculty is encountered by the retail optician in manipulating and adjusting the strap device to lenses of varying thickness. Having in 1a mind these objections, the novel cushioning insertof this invention has been devised to overcome them, and to furnish a cushioning insert adapted to provide all the desirable cushioning characteristics inherent in soft rubber, and yet "so supported by the included sheet metal back- 5 ing that ease of handling, manipulation and iitting of the same both to the strap device and in Jinter'posed relation between the latter and a lens V is assured.

Furthermore, in order to facilitate and simplify the strap adjusting and lens assem- 10 bling operations required to be performed by the retail Optician, means are preferably provided for securing the cushioning insert in initial assembled relation to the strap device so as to provide a" combination of these parts in'a unitary con- 15 struction, so' arranged that the portions of the insert which face the interior sides of the strap arms;;are not attached thereto and consequently do not interfere or impede bending movements thereof during adjusting manipulation of the 20' same by the retail 'optician.

illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which-#- Figgl is a fragmentary front face view of an ophthalmic mounting showing an assembled strap device and lens equipped with a novel "cushioning insert according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the novel cushionin'g'insert per se; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a strap device with the novel cushioning insert, also shown in longitudinal section, 0ppos ed thereto ready to be operatively assembled therewith so as to combine therewith to provide a unitary construction, the parts being drawn on anlenjlarged scale; and Fig. 4 is also a longitudinal sectional view, further enlarged, showing unitarily. combined strap device and cushioning insertoperatively related to a lens adapted to be received and held thereby.

Similar characters of reference are employed 40 in the above described views,t'o indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character I0 indicates the lens and I I the nose bridge of the mounting from which extends the lens embracing and holding strap device. Said strap device includes a butt portion l2 from which project the spaced outer and inner strap arms [3 and I4 between which the lens in is disposed so as to be embraced thereby. Said strap device further includes the upwardly and downwardly extending abutment lugs or members I5 and I6 which engage the-peripheral edge of the lens [0,- when embraced by the strap arms I! and ,to therebyhold said lens against rocking displace- I Said backing body or plate 18 with its facing l y 1 i r hera y ed to prov d P s substantially corresponding t'd the; shapes of the interior faces of thebutt portion 12, strap-arm's I3 and I4 and abutment lugs l5 and N5 of the strap device.

In a practical embodiment of the novel, cush-y 1 ioning insert, the backing body or plate IB is made of sheet metal of a suitable kind, and pref erably of a soft or annealed metal which rnay be 3 easily bent angularly to conformingly dispose the parts thereof for contiguous facing relation to the 1 interior surfaces of corresponding strap device 1 parts,; and soth'atth'e insert may beeasily bent n oth sU- ha e uire -t e I e rpo t n v ens mar o v The facing layer of theinsertis preferablymade I iven thickness.

- of s ft vt lt z iml a and 11S 'li s e 'ebl hered to the surface of the metallic backing body athlet b ir ct lca t nf t s ion-. In s h u itar cqn trutt en s nce-th 3 to become, unitary 'therewith ufl'he portions of the, cushioning Jin sert which correspond to. and 1 overlie; the; strapwarms I 3 and,,l4 are pierced .to

i rovide. pen ngs 3-9 o i ter-Wi th n n c e eceiving opening Qf a istr r-a s. 1 the: lens embraced thereby. .Thepomposite cush- %000 1 an inch int i fesw It will be obvious that thebacking or. plate 1 t8 of .theatu h o ne:insertprov d a ela i e y rigid or. non-flimsysupport forthe mass of rub; lberii ine ilyhich; ne er hel er i s: t e syben in of p rts of t es serti toand h i 3 subsequent retention in such-angular relations as imay' be required to; conform the-same to desired, I overlying, relation to different interior. surfaces of: t the strap. device and for Opposition to the faces the-strap device.

1 5 .Ow,i ng to thesupport afi'orded byqthe sheet metal, constituent of the,, insert, as wellas the-ease with" which the la r; m y .be; aneul r v-zhenttt w. t conform the, same the'interior, of astrap defvice with which it-is desiredto beemployedthe *described;.the body plate of" the cushioninginsert consists 'cfua'zthin inetailicmember, nevertheless: other firm or non-flimsy but' bendable sheet ma"-' terialcould :be used for the i purpose; and, like I We wisej 'altheugh soft rubber preferred for the and edge of a lens insertedv intogthe; embrace of;

novel-insert of this invention-may. be easily manipgula'ted and inserted intoa strap deviceby the: retail optician either before ..or,- whenassembling alens l0 in-secured relation ftoathe. strapdevice.

=It has been-found, however, that thEJI'BtQi-LOP!" ticians work is further facilitatedeand minimized, if the insert is initially combined with the-strap device :to .form therewith; afunitary construction. To this -endthis:inventionLalsorprovides :novel means for so combining thelirisert and strap. de-- vice.-. The means servingysuchpurposecomprises the provision :of a tubular ..metallic*stud 2-Iwhaving one ,end122fimbeddeda'nd secured in theibody of the butt portion] 2 of:fthe str,ap device, in such manner thatiitsotherend 2-3,projects,from the in- I I her face of said butt portion perpendicular. to theplane of Zsaid face, and thus into-the lens receiving space intermediate the arms .of-said strandevice (seel.Fig. .:3).s ."Ilhe: cushioning. insert i's'angularly brace the mar I inay-be'easily bent to conform t0 the adjusted position of the strapdevice arms 7 H When the cushioning insert is operatively inter bent into U-sha'pe to conform to the lens receiving space intermediate the strap device arms, and so as to provide a back portion 24 (see Fig.- 3) to abut the inner face of the strap device butt portion l2. In the back portion 24 thus formed is pierced an opening 25 through which the projecting end 23 of the stud 2| will outwardly extend, When the insert is moved into the embrace of the strap device (as shown by broken lines in Fig. 3). When the insert is thus disposed i s sembled relationtqthe strap device;v the thereto of a suitable tool, so as to form an annular keeper flange 26 (see Fig. 4). As this keeper sfiangegfifi thus formed and flattened home, it willsqueeze out the adjacent rubber mass of the "insert 'facing'l 9"so as to firmly grip and anchor the Pa so nser n i u us 1 712 3. 316 fa e f the tr e se a ms l3 and. Ware-.mt s? herfed orsecured 1 per se to said arms, tl'rel ter a be e sily diustinelvwben hQ im ede g ance by the insert, to varyjhe spacingfltheijeofioninginsert'need not be made thickand clumsy i It has .beenjound that a -very satisfactory insert 1 s p o i e hen hemetalli ba ing-bo o 1 te. t xi s /1000 of ch in ckn s n h r er ac la er I9 ap ro ma e 401" r ac m od ion 70f nse .n i varvins .t ic ne se ean th o t au u in ert rms .l l

nosed; b wee ,astrap d i e -.a d th 1 .1 braced-bythe latter, the. metallic backing ,bodxzlaal.

fi nqsed, con s gus to t e t i r su faces of. the-par sofv's i tra m c wh e the rubber racin l r. s. os d a nst t e le tsurfaces, When thereafter the assembly issecured by screwing home the fastening screw; l1, theglat: termaybedriven hometightlvsso that the strap device is firmly bound thereto, and yettheibind-r, ing pressure Will beequalized anddistributedby the. rre'silient onrieldin cushioning fac ng 1910f the-insert, so that. risk of.;fr-a,cturing. of the lens is :avoided, While ,at'the same time ,all looseness I and undesirable play between the lens and strap;

deviceis likewise prevented :by the presence of, the

interposed cushioning means. 1

Although in a preferred embodiment: as above .Y lm l 23of the stud 2| is laterallyupset," by"'application resilientmedium of the insert, other equally soft and resilient'materialsfcould: be substituted there c -Having described'myinventioh;'-I claim:

from the inner face'plane of said butt porti'on' in termediate the arms of-said strap -device," a 'cu'sh ioning- I insert comprising :a composite structureconsisting of a thin substantially rigid but bend able non-resilient'backin'g plate and ajlfacjngis lay er of'soft resilientlycompressiblelmaterial' sup zl'fi portedly adhered thereto, said insert being bent to conform to and overlie the inner surfaces of said strap device arms and so as to provide a back portion to lie contiguous to the inner face of said strap device butt portion with the facing layer presented to oppose a lens received in said strap device, said back portion having an opening through which said stud extends, and the free end of said stud being upset to provide a lateral keeper flange flattened home in holding relation to said insert and in countersunk imbedded relation to and below the surface of the facing layer of the latter whereby a firmly compressed portion thereof lies intermediate said flange and the backing plate.

2. In an ophthalmic mounting, a strap device having a butt portion and laterally spaced arms angularly extending therefrom to receive a lens therebetween, a tubular stud imbedded in said butt portion and having a free end portion extending perpendicularly from the inner face plane of said butt portion intermediate said strap device arms, a cushioning insert comprising a composite structure consisting of a thin substantially rigid but bendable sheet metal backing plate and a coincidental layer of soft rubber vulcanized thereto, said insert being bent to conform to and freely overlie the inner surfaces of said strap device arms and so as to provide {a back portion to lie contiguous to the inner face of said strap device butt portion with the rubber layer presented to oppose a lens received in said strap device, said back portion having an opening through which said stud extends, and the walls of the thus extending stud being upset to provide a lateral keeper flange flattened home in holding relation to and below the surface of said insert and in countersunk imbedded relation to the rubber layer of the latter, whereby a firmly compressed portion thereof lies intermediate said flange and the backing plate.

BERT J. LOWRES. 

